


never did i ever think this would be our fate

by kinglychan (avius)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Getting Together, Holiday, Internet Friends, M/M, Mentions of Hook-Ups, Never Have I Ever, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:50:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avius/pseuds/kinglychan
Summary: A bunch of boys plan a cabin retreat in the days before a fansign with the girlgroup that founded their friendship. But, the arrival of Joshua and Jeonghan, the two american boys in their clan of online friendship, changes the course of their trip before it even begins.





	never did i ever think this would be our fate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hyunsunglix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunsunglix/gifts).



> “vershua / jeonghoon : group holiday and never have i ever gone wrong” - prompt for secret santa exchange

Vernon is pretty sure he is about four seconds from throwing up - and not from the unbelievably underpriced and dangerous undercooked scrambled eggs he’d scoffed down in the 24-hour cafe, aptly called “Fly-By”. Seungkwan is talking his ear off about some recent political event in the carpeted chair on his left, pointedly being ignored by a sleep-deprived Jihoon across the isle from the two. Seokmin had caved altogether, head slumped on Jihoon’s shoulder, much to the elder’s dismay, sleeping so heavily drool dripped from his lip. (Vernon wishes he could do the same - it was only a few minutes past four-thirty in the morning and Vernon hadn’t slept more than a wink before the four of them piled into Jihoon’s mum’s van and driven to the airport.) But he can’t stop his leg from shaking, bouncing up and down as his eyes darted from the departure screen to the gate, waiting for Joshua and Jeonghan to arrive.

 

Their visit had been a long time coming. The pair of them were the last to arrive in the arranged gathering of the bunch of close friends, who had all planned a vacation together now that they had all graduated high school. Initially, the boys were merely kids with similar interests in the same girl group online, which somehow had collated into a huge mess of happiness and companionship. Their friendship expanded beyond their love for the girl group Twice, and became that of genuine care. However, for the first time, they were all going to meet, for Twice’s fan meeting, but also, for the best vacation of their lives. Minghao and Junhui had arrived directly from China the night before, leaving the currently half-awake four to welcome the other two international members and escort them to the holiday home they had put their savings together for. 

 

For Vernon, however, it was a little more nerve-wracking. It was the first time he’d be meeting Joshua, who, with maybe decent contest from Seungkwan, was his absolute favourite person in the world. He and Joshua were very attuned to one another. Where Vernon could sometimes get caught up in his head, Joshua was observant, always aware and in tune with his surroundings; but they both were highly considerate, and chose their words carefully. That’s the spiel Vernon likes to use everytime Seungkwan pesters him about the older male. (Seungkwan, ever the romantic, just says that they should hurry up and date, because they’re practically soulmates and the amount of flirting they exchange in group chats must mean probably act like a married couple every time they facetime.)

 

His head in his hands, Vernon doesn’t notice two gangly boys, with wide smiles despite tired eyes, walk through the customs gate and to the seating area. Seungkwan kicks Vernon’s legs as he stands. Vernon almost doesn’t want to look. 

 

But he does, and—

 

Joshua is even more breathtaking in real life. He’s wearing a black cap tugged over his hair, but his eyes, glimmering large and hopeful, dart nervously below. His lips look glossed as they stretch into a smile, and Vernon wants nothing but to kiss them. Everything blurs around the edges, because Joshua is right there, and suddenly everything feels a little more stable, his feet firm on the tiled ground. He thinks distantly that he probably resembles a dumbstruck fish, blabbering with no words, but it doesn’t matter because Joshua, his Joshua, is walking towards him. 

 

Vernon reaches out to grasp his cheeks, just to make sure he isn’t dreaming. 

 

“Hi.” His voice is so quiet, so reverent, so scared of waking himself up, but it seems to shift something in the older’s eyes because they’re hugging now, and his shoulder is damp where Joshua’s face is buried and maybe they’re both crying and laughing. 

 

“I swear to God, Vernon Chwe, if you’re not my boyfriend by the time we’re back here and I have to be trapped in another one of those death machines over the ocean, I’ll make sure you never can have children.” The threat is in English, very attune to Joshua’s humour and simplifies a lot of inevitable emotional undertakings, but Vernon can’t wipe the dumb smile from his face. He simply holds tighter, breathes deeper, tries to remember that this is real and happening, and whispers a promise to himself to make sure that happens.

 

“He won’t be having children either way, dumbass,” Jeonghan snorts, also in English, slapping Vernon’s shoulder hard and shattering the pair’s sentimental moment. Joshua’s ears flare a pretty pastel pink. But Jeonghan pays them no mind as the pair reluctantly separate, ruffling Vernon’s bed-messy hair and slipping his arm around Joshua’s shoulders with ease. 

 

“Yo, let’s stop talking about my balls, thanks?” Vernon waves away Seokmin’s questioning look. “Right, yes, no more English, sorry Seok.”

 

Jeonghan turns to Seokmin and coos. They’re a notoriously devious pair, due to Jeonghan’s persuasive nature and Seokmin’s eagerness to please the elder, but they simply are happy to see each other face to face. Vernon’s heart swells. It’s not that he felt overly responsible for the group becoming friends, but he couldn’t help but fret that they’d only stuck around each other because of his and Joshua’s…. thing. Joshua starts laughing at something Jihoon grumbles under his breath, slipping out of Vernon’s arms in favour of resting his head on his shoulder like it’s the easiest thing they’ve ever done. Vernon can’t contain his happiness. 

 

Jihoon is too grumpy and tired to drive, thrusting the van’s keys into Vernon’s palm before shoving Seokmin brutally to the side in favour of climbing into the furthest back row. Joshua and Jeonghan laugh, but Seokmin trails silently after the grumpy pants and Seungkwan just scowls and climbs into the middle, novelty worn off. 

 

Vernon taps the boy still clinging to his side. “Shua? Keep me company in the front?”

 

Vernon regrets doing so, as Joshua blinks slowly, looking up under long eyelashes. He beams, softly and sweetly, and Vernon thinks he might be under cardiac arrest. He wonders momentarily if it’s safe for him to drive. 

 

“M’d love to.” His voice sounds like a spring breeze and quality weed and the colour lavender all rolled into one.

 

Jeonghan flicks his best friend’s shoulder before sitting beside Seungkwan in the middle, unprepared for the assault of questions in heavily accented English about Broadway and In-N-Out and Thanksgiving. Jeonghan rolls his eyes, replying bluntly in perfect Korean, but Vernon thinks he sees fondness buried behind his snarky mood. Vernon settles into the driver’s seat, Joshua lacing his fingers with the hand Vernon rests on the gearstick, and everything feels calm and as it should be. 

 

Until Seokmin starts whining in boredom, and Seungkwan joins in just to spite Jihoon. Jeonghan looks about ready to unlock the sliding door and jump out of the car, but he makes eye-contact with Joshua in the rear view mirror and smirks. 

 

“Let’s play a game!” Seokmin and Seungkwan immediately halt their shouts, turning to the eldest. 

 

“I Spy?”

 

“No,” Vernon shakes his head at Seungkwan’s suggestion. “We’re driving into woodland soon and if I have to sit through Jihoon claiming he sees trees but making us try to name every scientific species we come across, I may not so accidentally hit one of them.”

 

“I was thinking of Never Have I Ever,” Jeonghan says, rattling his fingers against the side door in a pathetic drumroll.

 

Seokmin leans over Seungkwan’s chair and swats the eldest’s ear. “We don’t have alcohol.”

 

Jeonghan shrugs, seemingly unfazed. “It can just determine how many shots we’ll have once we reach the cabin. Hands up if you’ve done it, seeing as we can’t exactly subtly drink.”

 

Jihoon smiles, “Full shame zone.”

 

Vernon spares a desperate glance to his not-yet-boyfriend, hoping he’ll be able to rope his best friend away from his fixation on such stupid game, but there’s a determined glint in his eye that makes Vernon want to not get in his way. Seokmin pulls up a note in his phone to tally everyone’s scores, and apparently, much to Vernon’s dismay, group-bonding was about to level up to overdrive. 

 

Shua leans over the middle console, brushing curls away from Vernon’s ear. “Jeonghan plays dirty. This is going to get interesting,” he taunts, and Vernon can already taste the alcoholic regret. 

 

The game starts off calmly enough. Jihoon proclaims “Never have I ever had an allergic reaction,” which Vernon knows is just to catch him out, because he’s the only one to score a point. Seokmin continues the childish tone with “Never have I ever 

 

Vernon catches Seungkwan’s plotting-face in the rear view, and pinpoints that exact moment things go south. 

 

“Never have I ever been in handcuffs.”

 

“As if we wouldn’t know if one of us has been arrested,” Seokmin scoffs. Jihoon raises his hand, and Seokmin’s face shifts from assured to betrayed. But instead of admitting to arrest, he opens his mouth. 

 

“For any reason?”

 

Seungkwan smiles and nods. Both Jihoon, and to everyone’s surprise, Joshua, raise their hands. Vernon feels his ears begin to redden, as if he was guilty somehow, and Joshua refuses to make eye contact. Jihoon, however, lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. 

 

“Restraint is interesting to explore,” he remarks, and if Vernon hears Jeonghan mutter ‘hot and kinky?’ under his breath, he doesn’t mention it. 

 

It’s Jeonghan’s turn anyway, so the attention shifts warily to whatever question is about to be dropped. 

 

“Never have I ever made out with someone I knew beforehand.”

 

Seokmin asks, “Wait, define made out?” at the same time that Seungkwan asks, “What do you mean, knew beforehand?”. 

 

In Vernon’s peripherals, he watches as Joshua rolls his eyes. Jeonghan explains, “Like, I’ve never made out with someone I knew, like a friend or a crush or whatever, only hookups and strangers and the like.”

 

Jihoon raises his eyebrows at that. “What, you’re telling me you’ve never been in a relationship?”

 

Jeonghan turns in his chair to face Jihoon more directly. “No, I guess I’m more of a quick appeal sort of guy. No one’s ever stuck.”

 

Jihoon seems to bristle, and the energy change in the car is slight but noticeable. “Never? But you’re… you?”

 

Jeonghan huffs and faces the front, and if Vernon didn’t know better he would have thought Jeonghan was blushing. “Fuck off, Jihoon.”

 

The boy splutters to explain, and Seokmin sits silently by his side, seemingly in awe of whatever compassionate, expressive human the older had transformed into under Jeonghan’s self-doubt. “I mean… I haven’t either. Like, the few experiences I’ve had have been…. well, experimental. So, it makes sense for me, because I’m the emotionally constipated guy in the corner of the party, but you? You’re so stunning and lively and dateable?”

 

Vernon doesn’t want to laugh, because this is clearly a moment between the two boys, but the whole exchange is kind of amusing in the jarring sense. Joshua clearly feels the same, by the gentle huffs of air to his right. 

 

Jeonghan is silent, clearly processing, but he turns again after a moment. 

 

“You know, Jihoonie, never have I ever felt loved like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> hi sorry for the weird narrative, but i hope you have a wonderful holidays !


End file.
